Direct cremation, like traditional cremation before it, is quickly rising in popularity. The rate at which families are adopting the practice suggests that this trend is here to stay. In this way, you can think of direct cremation as the modern disposition choice for families.

Spiking funeral and burial costs, long distances between loved ones, and little time to handle disposition arrangements are just some of the issues people are facing. These families are looking for disposition alternatives that can fit into those circumstances. And for many, direct cremation is the alternative they’re looking for.

What makes direct cremation a good fit for the modern age? Cost, privacy, convenience, and personalization are some of the major benefits. Here’s a closer look at each of these benefits:

The cost of everything is up these days, but funeral services and the goods associated with them (caskets) are rising in cost much faster than the average consumer good. Between 1987 and 2017, typical consumer goods increased 123.4 percent. However, funeral costs increased by a whopping 227.1 percent. Burial caskets have gone up even more, with a 230 percent increase during that 30-year period.

The average cost for a traditional funeral and burial service is about $8,000 in the U.S., and Florida comes close to this national average. The bulk of those costs are associated with funeral home rental, funeral home staff and the burial casket.

Direct cremation services are much less expensive. A funeral home isn’t required for direct cremation, nor is a burial casket. Transportation, refrigeration, a crematory fee, and basic service fees are the only expenses involved. As such, the average cost of direct cremation is about $1,700 in Florida, and many direct cremation companies offer service packages that cost less than that.

For budget-stressed families, $8,000 is a big price to pay for disposition. Direct cremation is a realistic alternative that also offers full-service disposition.

Traditionally, funerals have been open events where many people are invited to the ceremony. While this is still an option, many families prefer to keep their chosen memorial service as private as possible. On a day when emotions may be raw and grief may be crushing, the last thing many of us want to do is meet and entertain people who may only have a tenuous connection to the deceased.



Increasingly, families want their disposition services to allow for private grieving. Direct cremation makes it simple for people to arrange that. Direct cremation does not involve a funeral or memorial service, so there is no event to invite people to. The cremation process can be carried out without anyone in attendance, but loved ones may be present if they wish.

Once the cremains are returned to the family, they may organize memorial services however they prefer. That includes a private memorial, for families that want it.

Today’s families are often separated by thousands of miles, which makes planning funeral arrangements a stressful challenge. Further, modern people are constantly pressed for time – another impediment to putting together funeral arrangements. Death doesn’t wait, though, which means that funeral planning stress is impossible to avoid with a traditional service. Traditional cremations pose the same difficulties.



Direct cremation doesn’t require a funeral home and timelines are much more relaxed. As soon as death occurs, the direct cremation company sends a trained team to recover the decedent and transport them to the morgue for refrigeration. During this time, the direct cremator attains approval from the state for disposition and helps their client attain any forms they need for the process. Once approval is granted, the remains are taken to the crematory, where the direct cremator oversees the process and recovers the cremains.

All of this can be done without family members present. Direct cremation can therefore be planned and carried out even if the family lives on the other side of the country. Additionally, following disposition, family members can have the cremains divided into multiple packages and mailed.

For families living all over the U.S., direct cremation offers an easy-to-manage disposition solution.

How many times have you heard someone say that they don’t want their funeral to be sad? Most of us would rather be celebrated than grieved over, and direct cremation gives families ultimate flexibility in how they plan their memorials. It can be as simple as a lunch between close friends or as grand as a proper family reunion. The point is that families can choose to celebrate their loved one how they prefer and do it on a schedule that works for everyone. A popular approach is to organize a memorial on the anniversary of the decedent’s passing. This gives the family time to grieve and recover, so they can fully embrace a celebratory memorial.

Obviously, it isn’t possible to do the same with a traditional funeral service.

Direct cremation may seem like it was developed for modern society, and to an extent, it was. Direct cremation is still relatively new compared to traditional forms of disposition, so it’s a better fit for people dealing with the challenges of modern life – time, availability, location, and expense.